Sweden’s security not separate from Türkiye’s: Turkish official

By Aynur Ekiz and Gazi Nogay

ANKARA (AA) – Sweden’s security is not separate from Türkiye’s, and Ankara expects the Swedish government to take concrete steps in fighting terrorism, the Turkish parliament speaker said Tuesday.

Mustafa Sentop welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the accompanying committee at the Presidential Court Hall in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Congratulating the newly elected Swedish premier, Sentop wished success to the country’s newly formed government.

The Turkish parliament speaker stressed that Ankara welcomed Stockholm’s efforts to improve bilateral relations and expressed his wishes that this determination would reflect on interparliamentary relations as well.

Pointing to the trilateral meeting between Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland on Sept. 7 following the NATO membership applications of Helsinki and Stockholm, Sentop noted that on Oct. 24, on the margins of the 1st Parliamentary Summit of the Crimean Platform in Zagreb, Ankara also held a joint meeting with Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen and First Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Antti Rinne.

- Concrete steps

Türkiye is happy to follow the Swedish government's statements that it is bound by the commitments signed under the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding, Sentop said, noting that the commitments under the memorandum are clear.

“The memorandum provides us with a road map. There are areas where progress has been made on this roadmap, we find them positive,” he added.

“For example, the lifting of restrictions on the defense industry will be considered positively in our parliament's assessment of Sweden's NATO membership application.

“However, it must be admitted that there are still a lot of steps to be taken," Sentop stressed.

Concrete and effective steps are needed, especially in combatting terrorism, the parliament speaker said, stressing that the propaganda, financing, and recruitment activities of the PKK/PYD/YPG, FETO, and DHKP-C terror groups in Sweden still continue.

“No progress has been made on our extradition requests. We expect Sweden to put an end to the activities of these terrorist organizations and their extensions by taking concrete steps,” he underlined.

"Every member of our parliament has someone who has fallen victim to terrorism, either in family, in close circle, or among constituents,” Sentop said, adding: “In a while, you will personally see the destruction caused by the coup attempt of FETO in our parliament building.”

Ankara expects “concrete results” after all the work carried out in fighting terrorism, Sentop said, noting: “Our assembly will evaluate whether the commitments in the tripartite memorandum have been completely fulfilled during the approval process."

- Türkiye among leading countries in NATO

Sentop also stressed that Türkiye has a positive approach to NATO's enlargement policy, as well as Sweden and Finland's membership, without prejudice and positively in principle, adding: "We have also shown this in our attitude.”

“At the very first stage, at the NATO Madrid meeting, Türkiye could have opposed your accession process, but it did not do so.

“In good faith, we allowed the process to begin, relying on the established tripartite consensus,” he added.

“However, I would like to underline once again that Türkiye's concerns and demands are completely justified.”

"You want to become a member of NATO to strengthen the security of your country. As Türkiye, we are a NATO member for this very reason,” he said.

In today's world, the security of one country would be ensured through the security of another country, he said, noting: "Especially when it comes to the NATO alliance, allies should consider their own security the same with the security of another member."

“I would also like to remind you of Türkiye's privileged position regarding NATO. Türkiye is one of the two largest military powers in NATO and one of the two countries that have kept NATO standing and strong for 70 years,” he noted.

“It is a country that provides support for security, unlike many European countries that are only providing a symbolic contribution to the alliance or receiving security support through NATO.

“For this reason, the word and decisions of Türkiye are at the forefront among the most important countries in NATO,” he said, adding: “And our good intentions are valid.”

Highlighting the positive, warm, and cooperative approach of Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson, Sentop said: "I hope that the issue will be concluded in a short time with concrete steps."

- 'Türkiye Friendship Group' at Swedish parliament

Kristersson, meanwhile, said he has been undertaking the post of prime minister for three weeks and that he has now made his second visit to Türkiye.

He said the meeting is a good mechanism for the implementation and follow-up of the trilateral deal, noting: "The group leader of my party has begun to work on the creation of a Türkiye Friendship Group."

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, but faced opposition from Türkiye, which accuses them of supporting terror groups such as the PKK.

The two Nordic countries signed a memorandum with Türkiye in June for cooperation in the latter's fight against terrorism. Ankara says it will greenlight their accession only if they address its concerns.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the EU, and US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

The trilateral agreement that Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland signed in June stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye. The deal also said Ankara extends full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security.

All 30 standing NATO allies need to approve any expansion of the bloc.

* Writing by Merve Berker